THE agitation for local government’s independence has been louder in recent times by well-meaning Nigerians, considering how this third tier of government has become subservient to state governors across the country. 

A recent article in This Day newspaper by Efe Etomi and Elivis Asia, questions the powers of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to suspend the Annual General Meeting of Oando Plc, in a bid to sanction the company for alleged infractions. They conclude that such application of institutional powers may prove to be repulsive and toxic, to investment inflow in Nigeria.

AFTER giving the order to strike Iran, President Donald Trump of the United States of America, withdrew his order at the last minute, because, according to him, too many human lives will be lost in the process. He, therefore, opted for further trade sanctions which, he hopes, will bring the economy of Iran on its knees and, therefore, force them to the negotiating table.

THE story of Nigeria is a dramatic irony; it is a geographic space of inequality where wealth and suffering both coexist in abundance. With so much wealth, many Nigerians also suffer so much on a range of issues, from education to health, infrastructure and food and human insecurities. Over 13 million children are out of school and more than 23 million Nigerians are unemployed. The working majority are underpaid while the ‘doing nothing minority’ get welcome packages in billions with several millions of commonwealth money stuffed in their pockets for wardrobe and furniture allowances. To earn their illicit billions, they do not set up committees to determine if indeed the country can afford it. But in the same country, where ‘justice shall reign’ exists only in our national anthem and never practised by those who sing it; the real working public workers must wait for months before N30, 000 is paid to them.

I stand against corruption in government, which was why my office personally facilitated the take-off of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission with a loan, after that most important anti-corruption institution was founded by then President Olusegun Obasanjo.